Hardware Question...

[Mickelonis]

So I have games that lag severely and soundskips, etc, etc.... I know I need a faster computer which leads me to a couple questions.

All of my research through these forums says that mame is very processor dependent. The faster processor, the better experience. Ultimately, it would be nice if I can play the 3d games like Tekken, and some of the Street Fighters without lagging.

Yes, I understand the "more the merrier" when it comes to processor speed, but what I would like to know is what "YOUR" specs are and if everything seems to run fine for you.

Any feedback would be great!

Thanks!

-Pete

[Epyx]

I had some of the same questions. There are some great threads on here with benchmarks.  I have an E5200 processor and my goal was to run Starblade at 100%.  That was my cutoff point in terms of the upper end of Mame performance.

With the E5200 I overclocked it to 3.6ghz to get that 100%.

The E5200 can be had for very cheap and overclocks nicely (and safely).

[Endaar]

General rule of thumb is the fastest Core 2 Duo you're willing to spend the money on. The E8400/8500 is probably the best bet given that the 8600 carries a pretty decent price premium right now.

Thing is, you have to run a 64-bit OS and a 64-bit build of MAME. I had an E8400 (3Ghz) machine running Vista x32, and now have an E8500 running Vista x64; the speed difference is enormous.

To answer your specific question, I've got:

E8500 3.16Ghz CPU, Gigabyte motherboard (EP45-UD3P something or other)
4GB RAM
ATI Radeon 9890

The video card is  overkill for MAME; this is my primary PC. Pretty much everything runs lag-free, except for games like Gauntlet Legends and MK4, which are still playable.